Car chair



A. B. BELL Sept. 27, 19 32.

CAR CHAIR Filed Jan. 2. 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l N g N v L NN \N \N\ E Nwwn m R W J x l l C' INVENTQR (b. BY AQLM A TORNEY Sept. 27, 1932. B BELL 1,879,037

CAR CHAIR Filed Jan. 2, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNVENTOR r am @M. w, TTORNEY Sept. 27, 1932. BELL 1,879,037

CAR CHAIR Filed Jan. 2, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 34- 79 73 22 5 4 8 71 1 15 g? 21 Z9 12 f a ATORNEY Patented S ept. 27,1932

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED B. BELL, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORTO HALE &, KILBURN i 00., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE Application filed January 2, 1930. Serial No. 417,864.

This invention relates to car chairs and more particularly to double chalrs for rallway passenger cars, trams and busses.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a car chair which may be reversed readily and easily, and whichpermits chairs wide enough to accommodate two occupants to be placed in a car with their centers closer together than has heretofore been possible without interfering with the reversal of the chairs.

A further object of this invention is to provide a car chair which projects no part below the truss line level, and thus permits of the installation of the usual heating pipes or other heating equipment in the usual location along the sides of the car wall or beneath the chair, without interfering With the reversing of the chair. I

Another object of this invention is to provide a car chair ofthe character described, which automatically becomes firmly locked against tiltingand rotation when it is reversed into either seatingposition.

Another object of this invention is to provide a car chair of the character described, which offers a comfortable inclination of the back and may be equipped with deep and comfortable upholstery without in any way interfering with the operation of the shifting and tilting mechanism.

, Other objects of this invention will be in part obvious andin part pointed out herein'after.

In the usual construction of car chairs, the chair cushion is usually supported on a flat frame. It has been proposed to hinge such frame at its front edge to a member which is rotatable on the pedestal, so that the entire frame and back may be tilted as a unit to avoid interferencewith adjacent chairs during reversal.

In accordance with my invention, the

frame which harbors the cushion is angular in transverse cross-section, the section to the rear of the apex of the angle being adapted to be approximately horizontal when the chair is in either seating position, and the sectionin front of the apex inclining upwardly. The chair back may be permanently secured to the rear edge of the rear section. This cushion frame ispivotally mounted at the apex of its angle on a member which is rotatably supported on the chair pedestal,

It will be obvious that the radius of the are through which the chair back swings, is smaller when the cushion frame is pivoted intermediate its front and rear edges,than

when it is pivoted at its extreme front edge. ,i

Consequently, the chair back,especially the top-and the rear corners of the cushion "frame and cushion are drawn further toward the center of the chair for any given amount of tilting elevation. The space required for reversal is thus reduced and'this permits a row of chairs to be installed in a railway car or bus with the distances between the centers ofthe chairs closer together than has her etofore been possible with car chairs adapted to accommodate two passengers and provided with deep and comfortable upholstery. In fact these chairs can be used to replace present carseating equipment on old cars on their standard seat centres.

By making the cushion frame angular, as

stated, the front section will not be projected below the truss line level of the chair during reversing of thechair. Thus, there isnothing to interfere with the installation of heater pipes in the usual location along the car wall and heating equipment under the chair. By pivoting the cushion and back unit intermediate its front and rear edges,

the front portion has a counter-balancing effect when the chair is operated, thus reducing the -effort required to tilt the chair.

In order that a clearer understanding of my invention maybe'had, attention is hereby directed to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, and illus-' trating certain" possible embodiments of my.

invention. It is to be vunderstood, however, that my invention may be embodied inchairs of various different types and including, if

desired, various mechanisms for effecting the Fig. 1 is a top view of a car chair of this" type and embodying my invention, certain parts being shown broken away and others shown in dotted lines, to more clearly bring 22 come against stops 21 and prevent the out certain features of the construction;

Fig. 2 is a side View of the same, certain parts being broken away and others shown in section-to. more clearly bring out certain of the details of the construction and is taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2, but shows the chair in an intermediate position of reversal,

' and is taken on the line 33 ofFig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the construction, and is taken on the line 44 of Flg. 1. I

: S1m1lar reference characters referto similar partsthroughout the several v ews of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the chem illustrated includes a suitable stationarysupporting standard or pedestal l, on which a seat cushion and back assembly is rotatablyand shift-ably mounted and held by any suitable means. As shown, the seat cushion 2 rests on a frame which is angular in transverse cross-section, comprising a rear section 3 and a front section 4. Thefront section may be sheet metal formation, having a flanged formation .5, attached to the tapered end 6 of section 3. The sheetmetal portion 4 may further be securedto the rear section 3 by means of straps 7. Preferably, section 4ipresents a vertical flange 8 along its front edge. -A suitable chair back. 9,. preferably coinfortably inclined, is securedat its lower edge to the rear edge of section 3 of the seat cushicn frame; The seat cushion .2 is disposed on the seat cushion frame and behind; the

confining flange 8. The bottom of the cushion preferably conforms in shape to the angular shape of 1ts supporting frame.

The cushion frame is hingedat its apexto a member which is rotatably and shiftably mounted on the supporting pedestal. For

instance, as shown in the drawings, a block 11 may be mounted for rotation and shifting on atable member 12, secured to the top. of thepedestal 1. Gibs 13 bolted to the table 12, as at 14, and overlapping an. annular shoulder 15 of theblock 11, hold these parts together while permitting relative rotative and shifting movement. ,Forwardly projecting arms 16 may be attached to, or formed on the block 11. At'the outer end of' each of these arnisf16 is formed ahinge knuckle 17, adapted to be received between two'hinge knuckles 18, formed on a hinge arm 19 secured to the bottom of section 3 of the chair cushion frame. These knuckles are connected by hinge pins 20. Preferably in order to limit the raising of the chair back beyond a predetermined height, and to prevent the forward portion of the cushion frame from projecting below the truss line level of the chair, a stop lug or shoulder 21 is formed on each arm 16 adapted to be engaged by ashoulder or stop 22, formed on each hinge arm 19. NVhen the chair is tilted to a certain elevation, stops chair fromcbeing raised higher.

If desired, stanchions or posts 24 for supporting and steadying the chairon the ped- ,estal, may be'secured to the frame 3. These stanchions are adapted to rest on the pedestal or o n a plate thereon, or preferably, on rece ving members 25 therefor secured to the pedestal 1, as shown in Fig. 4. These receiving members 25 may be formed to present a raised surface 26, onwhich the stanchions 24 areadapted .to rest when the chair is in seating position. Receiving. members '25 are preferably formed 'to present inclined surfaces 27 leading to the surfaces 26 to aid in seating the stanchions in their final locations thereon. Also, if desired,the stanchions 24 may be formed with annular shoulders 28 at their lower ends, which are adapted to engage beneath flanges 29 formed on the receiving members 25. This engagement not onlyholds the chair firmly against rocking and vibrating when in seating position, but also rendersthe tilting of the'chair impossible until it'has'been revolved a suflicient distance to take the stanchions out of engagement with the. flanges 29v 0f the receiving members."

To prevent rotation ofthe'chair accidental-- {formed on the lever-31, and a washer and nut 39 carried on the end of pin36.

If desired, there maybeprovided afoot restj40, .ca'rried on depending brackets 41, which are secured to the rear cushion frame section 3. Also if desired, arm rests 42 ,1nay

"be 's'ecured to each end of the rear'frame section 3. V

'Automatic shifting-of thechairto avoid interference withthe ear wall maybe obtained by providing on block 11 a pin or stud 43 which rides in a cam groove 44 formed on table 12. As the chair is rotated it is thus automatically shifted away from and back against the wall when the chair is reversed.

Reversal of the chair is effected bythe operator releasing the pedal latch, and rotating the chair to reverse its seating position. The operator may tilt the chair to avoid interference with the car wall or with adjacent chairs, as soon as and at any time after there has been sufficient rotation to disengage the stanchions 2 from the confining flanges 29, secured to the pedestal. The back may be lowered into seating position before the complete rotation is made, so that at the end of the rotation, the stanchions will engage and again be locked beneath the flanges 29 when the chair is in final seating position. The pedal latch will then automatically engage the corresponding notched or recessed forma tion 84 on the block 11 to prevent rotation or tilting of the chair until the pedal latch is again released.

From the above, it will be readily appar-' cut that not only does my invention permit the construction of chairs, each adapted to accommodate two passengers comfortably,

. and equipped withdeep and luxurious uphoL stery of cushion andback, which chairs can be placed with their centers extremely close together without interfering withthe reversal of the chairs, but further, that no part of the seat structure projects below the truss line level of the chair,.and, therefore, permits of the installation of the usual heating pipes and other heating devicesin the standard and usual locations. 7

Also, it will be clear that by 'hinging the cushion frame intermediate its front and rear edges, maximum length of chair may be obpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is V f 1. In a chair ofthe character described, in combination, a support and a seat cushion frame tiltably mounted thereon, the tilting axis being disposed intermediate the front and rear edges of a seat cushion harbored on the frame, aportion of the bottom of the frame being forward of the tilting axis and inclining upwardly with respect to the bottom portion of the frame rearward of the tilting axis, whereby the front portion of the frame remains above the top of the support when the frame is tilted thereon.

2. In a chair of the character described, in combination, a support, a seat cushion supporting frame tiltably'mounted thereon, the tilting axis being disposed intermediate the front and rear edges of said frame, the portion of the frame forward of the tilting axis inclining upwardlywith respect to the frame portion rearward of the tilting axis, and a seat cushion disposed on both said frame portions and having a bottom conforming to the shapeof the top surface of said frame, whereaxis and the front of the cushion remain above the top of'the support when the frame is v tained with minimum amount of lift being required to avoid interference with adjacent chairs, and thus permits the installation in a car, or other environment, of a row of chairs with their centers closer together than has been possible heretofore. Also, it is apparent that a counter-balancing effect is ob tained by that portion of the chair which is in front of the hinges and that this counterbalancing effect reduces the effort that would otherwise be necessary to tilt the chair.

From the above, it will be obvious that my invention is adapted for embodiment in chairs of various types andin chairs, including, if

I by the frame'portion forward of the tilting desired, various mechanisms for efiecting the shifting and tilting of the chair or both, either .manually or automatically.

, Accordingly, as many changes may be'made in the above construction and as many widely different embodimentsof this invention could be made without departing 7 from the scope thereof, it is understoodthat all matter con- 7 tained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be inter- 

